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Blackwood Rangers
Blackwood Borough contains two seperate militia forces: the Blackwood Militia and the Blackwood Rangers. Each is seperate from the other in codes, command, and standards adhered to. The only commonality is that the Lord of Blackwood is the supreme commander for both. The Blackwood Rangers consists of men and women who reside in the Blackwood Borough and have freely volunteered for service within the rangers. Unlike the Blackwood Militia, prospective rangers must prove their worth before joining. Once they have been accepted they are forced to follow a strict training regime for three months. The rangers are not "professional" soldiers or "regulars" like the Lordaeron Temple Knight's Ranger Corps. Most of the rangers have occupations at home which they set aside for times of service which they call "prowls". Because of their skill as scouts, markmen, and the ease with which they can switch to melee combat the Lord Marshal of the Temple Knights typically maintains a compliment of Blackwood Rangers during campaigns to bolster the strength of the Ranger Corps. History The Blackwood Rangers emerged around Year 27 AC as the successor organization to the resistance cell named "Bramble Thorns," nicknamed for their leader: Geoffrey Brambleward. The Bramble Thorns fought a losing war against the forces of the undead in the Plaguelands from Year 20 to Year 26. During that time, Brambleward managed to maintain a poorly disciplined group of former hunters and woodsmen and lead them to survive in the wilds and strike at the Scourge whenever possible. The Thorns tended to limit their activities to the dense Blackwood Forest where pursuit was unlikely if the pursuer was unfamiliar with the forest. By Year 27 AC, the Thorns had teamed up with the Argent factions and their allies: the Lordaeron Temple Knights. The resistance fighters bolstered the Temple Knights' forces. They provided scouts, archers, and snipers. During the Bramble Thorns' years of activities, they had managed to save hundreds of human refugees by leading them out of the Plaguelands and into secret enclaves throughout the Blackwood Hills. Once the fighting grew silent and the Council of Headmen gathered in Tyr's Hand to create the boroughs, those hundreds of survivors flocked to Geoffrey Brambleward and helped to settle and restore the Blackwood Borough. Shortly after New Lordaeron was declared, Brambleward reorganized the Bramble Thorns into the Blackwood Rangers---a militia unit that is still seen as the strongest card in Lord Brambleward's proverbial hand. Organization When Brambleward organized the Rangers, he simply replicated what he had done for the Bramble's Thorns. This meant that total authority over the Rangers rested with one person: the "Captain of the Rangers." However, due to New Lordaeron's militia regulations, the Captain was answerable to the Lord of the borough in which he or she served. Thus far, Lord Brambleward has doubled as the Captain of the Rangers. The Captain is then served by five "Lieutenants". Each Lieutenant is the superior officer of one "cadre" of Rangers and each cadre contains anywhere from 50 to 100 rangers. Then cadres are then divided into smaller groups known as "packs" or sometimes called "patrols". The size of each pack varies from cadre to cadre because each Lieutenant tends to organize things as they see fit. The leader of each pack is typically referred to as the "point"; however, the position of "point" changes based on the mission the pack is being sent on. The rangers themselves are categorized based on their skills and specialities. There are four "paths" a ranger can take: Pathfinder, Tracker, Stalker, and Steward. Pathfinder A pathfinder is the most basic ranger unit as they are required to be skilled marksmen and martial combatants. They are given some knowledge and tracking and ambushing, but only enough to be able to work with the stalkers and trackers. Pathfinders distinguish themselves from the other rangers by carrying yew bows. During training, they undergo extensive hand-to-hand combat training contrary to trackers and stalkers. Most of the ranger recruits can handle a bow just fine, but when it comes to a blade, they can be lacking. Sixty to Seventy percent of any cadre consists of pathfinders. Tracker A tracker is a scout. They are lightly garbed and lightly armed to insure their ability to move is not impaired. Trackers are forced to undergo extreme physical conditioning of the bodies to insure that can run for a full day with little rest. In order to become a tracker, a candidate must run from Blackwood Towne to Kingswake in a single day. A tracker is able to serve with the pathfinders; however, they tend to keep back in melee fighting. Most cadres will have five to ten trackers with them and each pack tends to always have one with them. Stalker A stalker is a ranger than is trained to serve in two ways. First, they are trained to be able to work with the pathfinders during times of battles with the additional skill in marksmanship to take out specific enemies up to four hundred rods in distance. Lieutenants arrange their cadres in battles so that the stalkers have clear shots at the enemy lines. Second, they are trained to be lone assassins that creep into enemy territory, take a single shot at an important target and then retreat. Normally, a stalker is required to be just as skilled at tracking as the trackers, but without the emphasis on speed. Most cadres have five to seven stalkers. Steward A steward ("Packmule" being the derogatory term) is considered to be the lowest tier of the Rangers. The stewards tend to act in the way squires do for knights. As such, most stewards are rangers-in-training. They are required to bear the excess gear, food, and supplies that the other rangers cannot carry. During battles, they continually travel back and forth between the camp, the lines, and the Captain. They carry additional arrows and bolts to the rangers when their quivers empty, they carry water to the exhausted, and they sometimes ferry information from the Captain to the Lieutenants. Outside of battle, they tend to the wounded, organizes camps, prepare meals, and fletch new arrows. Most cadres have about four to eight stewards and when a pack is dispatched for a long term patrol a single steward typically follows. Training For the normal ranger, training takes places at a camp located in the Wolfcreek Bailiwick, just outside of Blackwood Towne and it lasts from two to three months. This time commitment is intended to be a test of the recruit's intent to remain. Many citizens join a militia to serve for brief periods, but the Rangers require their members to serve for lengths from two to fours months long (In the New Lordaeron Calendar four Common months are consider to be a full Lordaeron Autumn). Therefore, the three month requirement is intended to weed out any candidates unable to make the time commitment. The Training Camps are run by an experience ranger that has been injured or can no longer make the commitment for extended service; therefore, they join the stewards and become what is known as a "Head Steward." The Head Steward runs the training camp and oversees other veterans who train the recruits. The trainers are typically referred to as "Trailblazers" in the Ranger's jargon. The subject matter of the training is divided into three areas, one to cover each month: Movement, Combat, and Path Training. The movement stage of training consist to building the recruits bodies to endure the conditions of forced runs, extreme temperatures, and the deprivations of water and food. The movement stage also instructs the rangers in the art of woodcraft; which involves the emulation of natural predators. The rangers learn about how to disappear in plan sight, how to hide their tracks, how to conceal their scent, and how to move without being heard. The combat stage consists of the basic instruction for the use of recurve bows, longbows, dirks, swords, and quarterstaves. During this time, the Head Steward and Trailblazers closely analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each recruit to determine which path they should follow. The path training is for divided into segments along the three primary paths: Pathfinder, Tracker, and Stalker. The Pathfinders undergo intensive training with longbows, longswords, and how to function within the structure of New Lordaeron's military. The Trackers undergo some additional instruction in the use of longbows to allow them to function with the Pathfinders; however, the bulk of their path training is spent on building up their endurance to run long distances. The Stalkers also undergo so additional training to allow them greater flexibility when working with the New Lordaeron military structure. Additionally, the Stalkers are tested repeated/y on the ability to conceal themselves and remain unseen. Most of the Stalker recruits fall back to Pathfinder mid-training when they are unable to pass the marksmanship tests. For the very last week of the recruit's training, they are trained in how to administer first aid on the battlefield, some general skills in how to find edible food in the wild, and some basic instruction on hunting and cooking. Once a recruit has finished their training, they are assigned to a cadre as a steward where they continue to serve as a steward until their Lieutenant promotes them to their Path. Equipment The gear provided to the Rangers is fairly uniform from ranger to ranger. Most differences between them will be based on the path they follow. Each ranger wears the same green and brown leather armor; however, as a ranger becomes more experienced, they will typically improve their uniform to make it unique for them. When it comes to wearing a tabard, each ranger is required to do so when marching in the company of the military or if they are on an open field of battle with the military. During patrols, tabards are often reversed to show some sort of camouflaging colors. Category:Military